Obituaries

Daniel J. Schleef

Died November 26, 2014

 OMENA - Daniel John Schleef, 87, of Omena, passed away at home on November 26, 2014.

  Dan was born on September 29, 1927 in Norfolk, Nebraska, the eldest son of Rev. Alfred Herman Schleef and Meta (Simpson) Schleef.  He grew up in eastern Nebraska and later in Fort Smith, Arkansas, where his father was the pastor at First Lutheran Church.
  Dan graduated from Fort Smith High School.  He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas, a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science (now Kansas State University), and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Purdue University.  Dan subsequently made teaching his profession, and became Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the College of Engineering and Applied Science of the University of Cincinnati.  He retired from that institution in 1993 after a long and dedicated teaching career.
  Dan served in the United States Army occupation forces in central Europe between August 1946 and January 1948.  He was stationed in Linz, Austria.
  On April 14, 1956 Dan married Elizabeth Morgan of Cincinnati, Ohio, who survives him.
  Dan, Elizabeth and their two daughters began spending summers at Omena in 1965.  They soon fell in love with the natural beauty of Leelanau County.  In 1976, Dan and a small group of friends founded the Omena Woods Association, an organization dedicated to the preservation of undeveloped woodlands on New Mission peninsula.
  Throughout his life, Dan was admired and cherished by family, friends, colleagues and students for his intelligence, his sense of humor, his thoughtfulness and attention to detail, and his generosity.  He instilled in his two daughters a lifelong appreciation for learning, music, clarity of expression and intellectual curiosity.  Above all, he will be remembered for his unfailing kindness.
  In addition to his wife, Dan is survived by his daughter, Katy Schleef and son-in-law John Hadder of Reno, Nevada, and by his daughter, Joan Schleef of Grand Rapids, Michigan.  He is also survived by his brother, Rev. Roger Schleef and wife Elaine, of Richmond, Michigan.  He was preceded in death by his sister, Mary Schleef of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and half-sister, Florence Annabel of Los Angeles, California.
  A private interment service will be held at Omena Hillcrest Cemetery.
  Memorials may be directed to the Leelanau Conservancy, P.O. Box 1007, Leland, MI 49654 and/or to ShareCare of Leelanau, Inc., 7401 E. Duck Lake Road #600, Lake Leelanau, MI 49653.